Mail crane and means for operating the same



NOV. 1, 1938. J ARRY 2,135,272

MAIL CRANE AND MEANS FOR OPERATING THE Filed July 9, 1937 2 sneaks-sheet 1 a i i 3 Q 1! s Afl --I INVENTOR.

ATTORNEYS.

Nov. 1, 1938. G. J. BARRY 2,135,272

MAIL CRANE AND MEANS FOR OPERATING THE SAME Filed July 9, 1957 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ILL n E W I 2 644 54 INVENTOR. III III 2 a w 46 a a 2 BY M ATTORNEY.

Patented Nov. 1, 1938 AND 'IVIEANS :EOB LOPERAMNG .zTHE SAME "Garrett "J; Barry, Toledo, Ohio ."Application. July :29, .1937; .Serial rNe. 3152;189

23 .Claims.

.iThis invention: relatesi-to mail cranes, -az-id' has for its general object to provide a crane of'this character WhiOh' mayibe conveniently operated if-rom; aimovingzmailscar to nautomatically bring .azmail :bag :on ssaidscrane r into: operative-relation to :.the (catcher with r-whichtsuch cars :are ordisnarilymrovided. 1A furtherrobject .of 1 the inventicnmis .:to':pro.videia. crane of this: character which .isagenerally efficientzin operation arrd which can the nconvenientl-y :reset saiter having been -oper- ,ated.

.Thezimzention iherein constitutes an improvement -;over nthat disclosed in -my Patent No. 513360.;354i1 issued (November. 30, L920; in: respect to thezparticulanmeanszior: operatingthemail crane :shown: inssaid:patent,s-andvmore particularly in respect: toiinsuring aithe efiicient-operation of 'the isaid :cnane zin rorder :to gloring ?the: mail :sack in operativezrelation to the standard catchen'not- :0 withstandingiathe factithati the? traincarrying the mail: car :mayiioe ;proceeding at a :veryhigh rate -ofsspeed.

EFnrther :objects rof the :invention :will be realized i inandq through the construction and arran-gement-ofzthe:partsiillustrated in the drawings hereof, wherein Fig. 1 shows in dot-andda-sh: linesitheiengineaand tender ofra locomotive anditheimanneri in'cwhich my. invention is a'dapt- .editd'coopenate'witb the standard mail car=equipto ment; :2 ar.sectiona1.-pla-n view o'f the mail crane aandzpart of .the connections ;for automaticallysqperating thessa-me; .Fig. :3.- a iver-ticalr-sectional relevation ;of :the :mail crane :and .-.a portion of "the :connections for automatically oper- ;5 ating :t-hezsazme; 1Figs. :4.=2and5 5 .are-sectional elevations rand-Fig. ,6 1a .deta.i1:in section, a of :the mechanism rfor rotating rand locking-:the:mail crane shaft; and rEigs. i7 :and a8 care :detailsin perspective of the amecha-n-ism for rotating .the said mailzcrane shaft. I

.The complete mechanism includes .a :rotary mail cr-aneshaft zha/ving:.the;usualaarrnsiorzsllpporting; a mail-.bagrmeans ;tending :to: rotate the said shaitlto bring a mail bag on said arm-.in operative relation t0=-a catcher on: aimail cargia locking .device normallypreventing the :rotation of said shaft, and meansoperativeby-the;front wheelsof .the engine for disengaging the said locking. device thereby-to enable rthepshaftnto .be rotatedto bringthe .mail bag i in operative :IBlfition to .saidv catcher.

..In ,the drawings forming part hereof, I 1 rep-- resentsnone-of .the rails of a track, -2-0 ian engine and 10*..the tender.thereof. ail "denotes-a vertical housing shown -:as supported onwansexten- 's-ion. o'fcone of the cross'ties,said-housinghaving a: doori22 -which rnayi be provided .with a lock .to :permit access 'to and preventfltampering .with the-parts therein. The particularicrosstie illustrated herein may be a metal channel having its flanges 2 23 extending downwardly and its web 24 z'providin'g .a cover for "the operating lever :theriabeneath. A-plate 9251s shown as extendingitrarisversely of the'housing 2| and Will:be secured to -therlsame in any-suitable:rnanner, as by welding, where the housing is of metal. Extending through a centrall aperturei-n the plate 25 is 'the zvertic alrcrane -shaftflfigsaid shaft: extending through thecoverplate'i2 l -of saidhousingiandi-b'eing provided withfthe usual ar msl'2l and "28 #for =supporting a 1 mail ibag,rindicated at .29ion F ig l. The arm121 -is:pivoted to ayoke (amt-he toprorthe crane shaft and is counterbalanced to cause itto .I assume 'a vertical :position when relieved of .the weight :of the bag. The arm lfi ispivoted so that' itcan drop I to averticali position i by: gravity when the mail bag is disconnected therefrom'by the 'catcher.

The conforms 'no part of I myinvention.

f-suitably secured to the plate 2 5, as by lag screws 39, is a sleeved supporting :member 3| having Wertically vextending stop projections 32 and 33 and a spiral track 3'e extending 'between said'projections; Rigidwvith' the shaft ZB'is a cooperating member 34" having a i hubportion 35 carrying a spiral rib 36 one end 31 whereof, 00- operates with "the stop projection I 32, and "the other end whereof cooperates: with the stop pro- :je'ction 33. '"The lower surface of=the"rib -36'is inclined rcomplementarily to :the inclination of the i track .233, :there being rollers 2:381 mounted in recessesmrovi'ded: in theIIoWersurface of .the rib 36,. saidi'rollers:movingzalong theztrack 33 "39 denotes" azcup' which? isiadjustablecalongithesshaft :25'.;by:rneans;of rarnut 4.0 threadedron thelower end :of isaidsshaft, there beingzailock nut 41 belowithe: niit il 2 for tthezpurpose of.-: retaining the latter, and .:the. cup ."39 in anyposition :to "TWhiCh they {may :be ,adjusted. .surrounding the LIOWGI portionuofi the;shaft e26; is.:a:strong; helicalcspring 4'2, the lowerrend i-whereof extends Withinlthe cup 239 iandiis-tconnected to the; shaft, .the upper endwf :said: spring engaging-a: lug v. 43'gprojecting downwardly from'the plate 15.

and ibeing angular :in :outline.

The blower endof said rib constitutes a stop projection which cooperates'with the projection 32.

Secured to the plate atone side of the members 3| and is a block 44. The face of this block, which is presented toward the members 3l' and 34'is concave. Extending through said blockare rods 45, said rods being threaded and provided with nuts 46 to secure them in posi- 'tion and to clamp the block to the plate 25, the upper ends of the rods projecting through the [head plate 41 having'a central aperture for the upper end. of a rod 48 havinga collar 49 thereon above said block, there being a helical spring 50' interposed between said collar and the plate 41... The portion of the rod 48 which extends through I the block is preferably angular in section and slides within a similarly shaped borethrbugh said block, whereby the rod may reciprocate with respect to said block without rotating. Projecting from the rod above the block is a locking dog 5| adapted to overhang the rib 36 and having an angular notch 52 therein adapted toreceive the angular lockingprojection 36 on said ribjand thereby prevent the rotationof the shaft 26 by .the spring 42. y

The rod 48 is preferably made in two parts 7 having reversely threaded ends connected by a correspondingly threaded sleeve 53, enabling the effective lengthiof'said rod to be varied. The lower end of the, rod projects through an opening inIthe web 24 and is connected to' one arm 54 ofla bell crank lever, the other, arm 55 ofjsaid lever being connectedto ,a link .56, the pivot for the bell crank lever, being indicated at 54". The opposite end of the link is inturn connected to one arm 51, of a bell crank "lever, the other arm 58,whereof is connected to a long link or rod The pivot for the second bell crank lever is indicated at-5| The rod or link' 59 extends forwardly from the cross tie 23, 24, being arranged in close proximity to the rail land convenientlyand slidably supported by sleeves60 carried by the. cross ties 6|. At its forward end it is connected tothe lowerend of'a lever 62, pivotally supported at 63, the upper end 64 'of the lever extending adjacent to and preferably a short distance above the rail l, where itwill be engaged by the flange on the front wheel of the locomotive. The pivot 63is conveniently supported by brackets 63 which may be carried by. a cross tie; and the rod orlink 59 and the sleeves60 will, in common practice, be enclosed within a suitable casing.

V The mail crane shaft having been set and locked with its arms 21 and 28 projecting paralel with the track, as by means of the hand wheel I 65, and a mailbag having'been applied to said armsin the usual manner, the operator on the ,mail car will set his catcher in the usual position to receiv e the mail bag. When the locomotive of the train carrying the mail car advances slightly beyond the position shown in Fig. 1

the upper arm of the lever 62, 64. will be rocked forwardly, thereby moving the rod or link 59' rearwardly and, through the bell crank lever 51, 58, link 56 and bell crank'lever 54,"55, will lift the-rod 48, thereby to release the dog 5| from the locking projection. 36. Immediately upon the'release-of the dog, the spring 42, having been;

set under strong compression, will rotate the shaft 26 rapidly toward the tender 20 until the shaft is given a rotation of about inthis di- With the parts constructed and arranged, as 1 described, the'operation will be as follows:

rection, its rotation being stopped by the projection 32.

11; will be noted that the length r the rod. or

link 59 is such as to enable the engine cab to pass the mail crane before the lever 62, 64 is operated to cause the spring 42 to rotate the shaft 26 toward the crane. the engineer or fireman being'struck'bythemail This avoids any liability of bag or the arms of the crane, Furthermore, where the mail car is immediately at the rear of the tender, the distance which the, train must travel, after the release of the dog 5| from the locking -projection 36 before the door of the mail car reaches the. mail crane will be ample to enable the shaft 26 to rotate the desired distance to enbag.

and the steep pitch of the track 33 and the use of the anti-friction rollers 38. I

Having thus claim is; J

1. The combination, with whack, of a rotat 'able mailcra-ne shaft, means tending-to-rotate said shaft, a locking member carried by said'shaft,

described my invention, what I able the catcher to engage and remove the mail The speedly. rotation of the mail crane, "shaft is insured? by the strength of the' spring 42 a rod extending parallel with said'shaft and having a locking. member cooperating with the .first mentioned locking'member, yielding means tending to hold said locking members in engagement, and;means operableby'a wheel of a locomotive traveling along said track for moving said rod, thereby to, disengage its: locking member from the first mentioned locking memb'er, the said means comprising a lever pivoted intermediate of its ends-and having its upper endpo sitioned to be engaged and moved forwardly by a. front wheel of said locomotive when the said shaft is a at the rear of the cab of 'said locomotive,a' rod connectedto the lower end of said lever and extending rearwardlyth'erefrom, a bell crank lever having one arm connected to the rear endof the'second rod, a link connected tothelother arm of said bell crank lever, and'a bell cranklever having one arm connected to thefirstmentioned rod and its opposite endconnectedto said link. 2. The combination, with a tra'ck,":of a rotatable mail crane shaft, means tending to rotate said shaft, a locking member carried by said-shaft, a lockingmember cooperating with the first mentioned locking member, yielding means tending to hold said locking members in engagement,

and means operable by a wheel of a locomotive traveling :alongsaid track for disengaging. said locking members, the said means comprisinga lever pivoted intermediate ofiitsends" and hav- 7 ing its upper end positioned to be engaged'a'nd moved forwardly .bya front wheel of saidlocomotive whenthe said shaft is at the rear of'th'e cab of said locomotive, a rod connected t'o the ing a locking member cooperatingwith the first I mentioned locking member, yielding means tend-- ing to hold said lockingmembers in engagement, and means operable bya wheel of alocornotive traveling along said track for moving said rod thereby to disengage its locking member from the first mentioned locking member, the said means comprising a lever located adjacent to said track and adapted to be engaged and depressed by a front wheel of the said locomotive when the said shaft is at the rear of the cab of said locomotive, a bell crank lever located adjacent to the said mail crane, a connection between the first lever and one arm of said bell crank lever, a second bell crank lever having one end operatively connected to one of said members, and a connection between the second arms of the said hell 5 crank levers.

GARRETT J. BARRY. 

